Mary Schapiro Has a Bone to Pick with Hatch, Issa

Daily Kos Staff

Thursday April 22, 2010 · 7:50 AM PDT

2010/04/22 · 07:50

Who is Mary Schapiro and why is she ticked off with these guys? She's chairwoman of the SEC, and she doesn't appreciate the insinuations that the SEC's charges against Goldman Sachs were politically timed or motivated.

"The SEC is an independent law enforcement agency," Schapiro said in a statement. "We do not coordinate our enforcement actions with the White House, Congress or political committees. We do not time our cases around political events or the legislative calendar."

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, wrote Schapiro on Tuesday to ask for any documentation that might show the SEC had been in contact with the White House, congressional Democrats or party committees about the timing of the charges....

“The fact is that regulatory reform has been pending for over a year. We have brought many cases related to the financial crisis over that period," she said.

“On a personal level, I am disappointed by the rhetoric," Schapiro added. “In all my years as a Commissioner and Chair at the SEC and the CFTC... I cannot think of any instance where politics was a consideration in bringing an enforcement action. Nor should it ever be."

Not that it's likely to mollify Hatch or Issa. But just in case you were wondering, the case on that one should now be closed.

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